Never
by Praetor of Rome
Summary: A story of long lost dreams and stories that never existed. One twelve-year-old girl's choice to fight or run was the tipping point - a choice that could have changed many lives. But for better or for worse no one may ever know. Written for PJO Ship Weeks.


**A/N: Finally wrote something for PJO Ship Weeks! Although I feel like I was kind of overly ambitious with this idea, and it might have worked out better if I'd spent more time developing it. But I think the story turned out alright, so here you go!**

**Also, I will be trying to write something for each of the ships, even the ones I've missed already. I've already written something for Grover/Juniper and am just waiting until I get a couple of the other ones done before posting it. Even if it won't technically be for the ship weeks, I want to expand my horizons and actually write and publish more fics. So stay tuned!**

**Rated T for major character death, battle scenes, etc. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson universe or most of the characters portrayed below. **

* * *

Gods of Olympus, it was raining.

Thalia stumbled backwards, pointing her spear at the nearest hellhound. Luke was running up the hill with Annabeth clinging to his back, with Grover urging him on.

She closed her eyes and something jerked in her stomach before a brilliant flash lit the sky and another one of the hellhounds vaporized, leaving a burning smell behind.

"Come on!" Luke grabbed her hand, and she followed him, raising her shield against the pack.

Thalia could hear the Furies laughing and remembered Halcyon Green's words. Her destiny was sacrifice. No. She tried to push away the thought.

They reached the top of the hill.

She'd never be safe. She'd never be anything more than a prize, a piece of meat with a price on her head, a mistake who'd lived far too long for Hades.

She'd always known that Luke and Annabeth could never stay with her, but Thalia had never wanted to admit it.

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the faint lights of a house through the rain. They might make it. If they were lucky.

She'd never been lucky.

"Go." Barely a whisper.

"Go, Luke!" Louder, but the words still caught in her throat.

"What?" He twisted, raising his sword. "Are you kidding? Hurry up!"

"Thalia!" Grover called. "You have to get to safety!"

She shook her head.

"Get out of here. I can stop them."

"The hell you can– " Luke snarled

"Luke!" She shot a pointed look at Annabeth, and he clenched his jaw.

A hellhound lunged, and she darted forward to meet it, ducking into a roll and stabbing her spear into its neck. The monster disintegrated.

"Let me down!" Annabeth shouted.

Luke glanced over his shoulder at her, and then his eyes met Thalia's. She could almost see them fracture into a million pieces.

"No time," Thalia gasped, raising her shield again. Too many, too close. Gods, they were toying with her at this point.

"You've got to keep moving," Grover pleaded, but she ignored him.

"I'll meet you at the house, okay?" Luke's voice caught, and she nodded, hoping the rain would obscure the tears stinging her eyes.

"You can't stay here!" Grover tried to tug at her arm, but she shook her head.

"They'll never rest until they tear me apart. I can buy you some time. I-" She blinked, wiping her eyes. "_Please_, Grover_._"

They had a brief staring contest, and Grover reluctantly let go of her arm, following Luke and Annabeth, urging them down the hill.

Thalia took a deep breath. No distractions now. The hellhounds growled, stepping closer until she was surrounded on three sides. Thalia raised Aegis higher, but it wouldn't hold them for long.

No, she didn't want to die, by Hades, she'd never wanted to die this young.

"Grover, keep them safe!" she yelled.

Thalia called down a blast of lightning that shook the hillside.

Claws scraped her arm, and she ducked. Heavy paws missed her by inches.

Cackling. Someone was screaming.

Her side stung, sticky and wet.

Dying hurt.

The rain dripped down her cheeks as she hit the ground, jarring her side.

Something broken.

_Broken. _

Red and blue and black.

Heat flaring over her like a fiery blanket.

Then gray.

Then black.

* * *

_Thalia always said that she didn't remember anything from her time as a tree. And it was the truth. A good thing, too – for in her dreams time divided, and the world was broken. _

_ For the first and last time in her immortal life, Thalia Grace saw fate, saw the strings that were cut the night she died. _

* * *

**One – Hope and Trust**

"Knock knock?"

"Go away," Thalia groaned.

"It's ten o'clock in the morning!"

"Your point?"

Luke creaked open the door to Cabin One and poked his head in.

"You can't stay in here all day," he said.

"Uh yeah, I think I can." Thalia pulled the pillow over her head. "Go away, Luke."

"Look, I'm bored, will you at least go to the arena with me?"

"You are awful at getting me to do what you want."

He sighed in exasperation and entered the cabin, sitting next to her sleeping bag.

"You don't like camp, I don't like camp, can we at least not like camp together?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Annabeth likes camp," Thalia sighed.

"She's seven."

Thalia closed her eyes. "Wish I could be seven again."

"Really?"

She opened one eye. "Nah, I guess."

Luke stole her pillow.

"Hey! Give it back, Castellan, or I'll fry your eyebrows off again!"

"You wouldn't," he grinned. "Not after you saved my life last week."

"Miracle we made it into camp," she grumbled. "I almost told you to leave and let me deal with the army."

"Glad you didn't."

Pause.

Luke cleared his throat.

"The campers handled it. And Chiron. Wouldn't have made it without Aegis, though."

"Mmhmm. Respect the shield."

…

"Up, Thalia!"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"I'm not a freak show to be gawked at when I walk around camp!"

"How about I walk around camp with you, then? We can be a freak show together."

"I hate you."

…

"And you've got to stay with your cabin." Thalia propped herself up on her elbows.

Luke snorted. "There's so many kids in Eleven, I doubt they'll miss me."

…

"So…you coming?"

"Urgh. Fine!"

"Ha – see, I am good at getting you to do what I want!"

…

"Ow, Thalia, what was that for?"

* * *

Whenever she wanted to crawl into a hole and not come out again, Annabeth would drag her around camp and point out the new hideaways and general cool stuff she'd found. And then she'd talk for hours about what she'd learned in Ancient Greek and demonstrate new knife-fighting techniques.

Thalia had to grudgingly admit that maybe camp wasn't that bad.

* * *

Years passed surprisingly quickly. She knew Luke hated being stuck in the crowded Hermes cabin like he didn't matter, but she'd sneak over, and they'd go into the woods to battle monsters.

Thalia was barely fifteen when Chiron called her in to discuss rumors of dark things stirring in Tartarus.

"Some old foes – so ancient we fool ourselves into thinking they're gone for good – well, they want to find grounds in the mortal world," he explained.

"You think this is about the so-called Great Prophecy." Thalia crossed her arms.

He sighed. "I don't think these stirrings are powerful enough to be the start of anything. I'm just warning you to be careful."

* * *

She had her first quest the following summer. Annabeth had complained about not being allowed along, but Thalia and Luke had agreed – they didn't want to put the ten-year-old in any more danger than she'd already been through with them.

Amiya Chavan, thirteen years old and one of the most powerful children of Demeter at camp, was the third member. Thalia liked her – she was fiercely determined and not afraid to speak her mind. (She was also experienced – one of the few younger campers who'd been there before Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth.)

They nearly got blasted to dust by one major (and several minor) gods, and the daughter of Zeus was a natural monster magnet, but somehow they managed to escape from the Mountain of Despair alive.

* * *

"More reports from Hades?" she groaned.

"He's keeping an eye on Tartarus," Chiron reminded her.

"Atlas isn't escaping any time soon. Neither are the Titans in the pits of hell." She tapped her foot on the floor. "How could they?"

He hesitated. "Rumors are stirring that Kronos has begun visiting dreams. You will let me know if you hear anything unusual?"

"Of course."

* * *

"Malcolm is _not _better at Capture the Flag strategy than I am!" Annabeth insisted.

Thalia tapped her chin. "Did you give him a chance to explain his ideas?"

"Well…not really."

"Just because you're two braniacs around the same age doesn't mean you can't work together instead of competing." Luke reached over to ruffle her hair, just like he used to do when she was seven. Annabeth ducked out of the way and rolled her eyes.

"If someone else has a good idea, that doesn't take away from who you are," Thalia said. "In fact, I bet that together you guys can think up a strategy to beat Ares on Friday."

"Really?"

"Really."

As Annabeth hurried back to Cabin Six, Luke flashed a grin at Thalia.

* * *

Her sixteenth birthday passed with no more than some extra-disturbing nightmares. Probably anxiety.

"Maybe the prophecy's not about me. Or not about a demigod in this generation," she told Chiron.

* * *

Annabeth was trying to work with the Hephaestus cabin to devise a better defense system for the camp. Border patrol was only working so much, and Cabin Nine still had no luck on finding the bronze dragon, or any other one of the automatons that used to defend camp.

She sat with Thalia at the edge of the woods, her legs dangling from a tree branch.

"We need something that'll hold off the monsters and raise an alarm to the camp," Annabeth explained.

"There's got to be a way to keep the camp safe without the campers having to battle every monster that comes too close," Thalia argued.

"If there is," she shrugged, "we haven't found it yet."

* * *

"You ever think of going back out into the real world?" Thalia asked.

"All the time." Luke fiddled with his shoelace, sighing. "It feels like we're stuck here, waiting for something. The gods don't even acknowledge us except to fight about us. Well, mainly you."

"They haven't killed me yet," Thalia raised her eyebrows. "That's something."

He muttered something that sounded like _supposed to be our parents. _

"We don't need them," she shrugged. "They stay out of our lives, we stay out of theirs – works better that way."

"How can you forgive them so easily? Hades tried to kill you!"

"That was years ago. There's been less hellhounds at the borders since I passed my sixteenth birthday. I'm not saying I've forgiven them, but… I'd rather not spend my time moaning about them. Deadbeat parents are deadbeat parents. Done. Moving on." She started tearing at the grass around her feet, and Luke put his hand on her wrist.

"Look – I…I'm sorry about your mom-"

"_Don't._" She stood, brushing off her ripped-up jeans. Thalia stormed back to the cabins before Luke could even respond.

* * *

"Knock knock?"

"Thalia?"

Luke slipped out of Cabin Eleven, frowning slightly.

"Look," she shoved her hands into her pockets. "I – I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. I didn't mean to…" She hesitated.

"It's all right," he said. "You've got every reason to be upset."

"I'm not upset!"

He pursed his lips, and she looked at her feet.

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess I am. I just – I never liked her, we fought all the time, but I don't know it's just…it's weird." Thalia took a shaky breath.

Luke stepped forward and pulled her into a hug.

"I know, Thals."

* * *

Seventeen. More training. Just before summertime, Andrew from Apollo got a quest and asked her if she was up for coming along. It was pretty routine – chasing down a loose Chimera that was terrorizing the Midwest, but the other quest member, Carlos from Hermes, was pretty badly burned. For a while, they weren't sure if he was going to make it, but he managed to pull through.

Luke was especially snappy with her after she came back, and when Chiron handed him a quest a couple weeks later, he didn't ask her to come along.

* * *

"Talk to me!" Thalia demanded, but Luke kept hacking at the dummy.

"What do you even want to talk about?" he growled.

"Why you've been avoiding me since the Chimera quest," she snapped, crossing her arms. "This is the first time I've really managed to get you alone."

He refused to answer, and she groaned. Thalia expanded her spear and darted forward, slicing the last dummy in half before he could lunge for it.

"Hey, I was in the middle of something!" Luke spat.

"You're the one who's been giving me the silent treatment. _For weeks. _What in Hades has gotten into you?"

"Like you care," he muttered.

"_What?_"

He clenched his teeth. "Look, you'd just been on a quest, fighting a Chimera, why should I bother you?"

"That is the lamest excuse I've ever heard." Her eyes flashed.

"You didn't seem too rushed to talk to me, either," he shot back.

"Excuse me?"

"You were all worried about Carlos, weren't you? It's fine if you wanted to hang out with him, I wasn't going to get in your way. I heard you're going to the fireworks with him, and – ow, what was that for?"

She'd punched him.

"Luke Castellan, you were _jealous?_"

"What? No!"

"Why didn't you just tell me instead of making me think I'd ticked you off?"

"I – that's not – I didn't - "

"_Idiot."_

"Thalia! Wait, what?"

She shook her head and muttered something about _boys. _

"I expected better of you." Thalia picked up her spear and collapsed it back into the container. She paused. "And for the record, I was never going to the fireworks with Carlos."

"But – I heard he'd asked you - "

"Yeah, he did." She brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "And I turned him down."

"Why?"

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Like I said, _idiot._"

She strode off back towards Cabin One, leaving Luke trying to piece together what she'd said.

* * *

Whispers were circulating about the new camper, Percy Jackson. He was undetermined, but powerful. At least powerful enough to drench Clarisse la Rue and a few of her buddies in toilet water.

Thalia had her suspicions, but she kept them to herself.

* * *

"Looks like Zeus wasn't the only one to, y'know…" Luke flapped his hands, and Thalia shoved him.

"I figured," she muttered. "I'd hoped it wasn't true, for his sake, but…"

"Poseidon." Luke nodded. "At this rate, we'll have to up the border patrols. Heard Hephaestus cabin was working on a new automaton?"

"Yeah." Thalia winced, remembering efforts in the previous years that had gone haywire. "But somehow the camp must have survived with a bunch of Big Three kids in the past."

"They weren't _illegal. _Hades must be ticked that Percy made it here alive, too."

Thalia groaned. Just great.

"I swear though, between him and Annabeth, I'm not sure which one will kill the other one first." Luke was clearly trying to lighten her spirits.

Thalia snorted. "Never bet against Annabeth. Although watch, he'll end up asking her out by the time they're fifteen."

"Yeah, about that…"

"Mmm?"

"See, I was wondering…"

"Wondering?"

"Well, I thought I'd ask…"

"Really?"

"Will you stop interrupting?"

"Excuse me? What do you think I'm here for?"

"Oh come on, Thalia, just - will you go to the fireworks with me?"

Pause.

"Thalia?'

"Ow!" Luke rubbed his shoulder.

"Duh, I'll go with you!"

"You really have to get out of the habit of punching people. Namely, me." But he was grinning.

* * *

"Percy-"

"What?"

"I am sorry about what happened to Grover." Thalia tried to keep her voice gentle. "He was brave."

"It should've been me," Percy muttered miserably.

"Grover chose his own path. He wanted to protect you." She swallowed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Monsters get into camp sometimes. It just happens."

"Why? Why does it happen? I thought this was a safe place for demigods!"

"It's complicated." Thalia blew a strand of hair out of her eyes.

"You mean it's my fault. I attract too many monsters."

"Don't give yourself too much credit. I attract plenty of monsters."

"Yeah, but-" He rubbed his eyes. "You're someone everybody looks up to. You know how to save your friends without anybody getting hurt."

She pulled back, surprised. Sure, she was powerful and respected, but she had never thought people actually saw her as a role model. Besides Annabeth, maybe. But even she was growing into her own as she got older.

"Says the kid who practically tried to drown me last Capture the Flag." Thalia raised her eyebrows. Percy opened his mouth in protest, and she added, "Okay, okay, I realize I may have shocked you first."

"May have?" Percy crossed his arms, and then sighed. "Nah, you're really alright. Most of the time, anyways."

"Was that a compliment?" she teased.

Percy managed a smile, and she held out her hand.

"C'mon. They'll be sounding the conch for dinner soon."

* * *

"You did good talking with Percy." Luke squeezed her hand.

"I tried," she sighed, leaning against his shoulder. "How's Annabeth?"

"As well as can be expected."

They sat in silence for a few heartbeats.

"How are you?" Thalia asked.

"Alright." He closed his eyes briefly. "Heroes die all the time."

"Yeah. I just wish-" She chewed on her lip. "I spent a long time being annoyed with Grover for bringing me to camp."

"You made up eventually."

"He had a real magnet for Big Three kids, huh?"

Luke brushed back her hair and kissed her forehead.

"We'll be alright. There's got to be a way to stop all this Big Three pact stuff."

* * *

For a while, they thought that once Percy turned sixteen they could start their negotiation plans with the gods about negating the pact. But then Bianca and Nico di Angelo turned up, and it didn't take long to put the pieces together.

"We're stuck for at least another six years. And who knows who else is out there?" Thalia jabbed her spear, and Luke met her strike with his own sword.

"There's got to be a way." He pressed forward, and she slashed down, forcing him to jump back. "All three of them have kids – can they call of the attacks, the threats of war?"

"Hades didn't break the oath," she reminded him. They only knew this because Malcolm had accidentally heard Nico mention the Lotus Casino and was fortunately well-acquainted with the Odyssey. Chiron had quizzed the two, and they'd figured out why Hades still had the right to be mad at his brothers.

"The gods," Luke muttered. "They'll tear this world apart. And Chiron said something about more monsters stirring from Tartarus with all this unrest."

"We'll stop them," she insisted, ducking the blow he'd aimed at her head. "There's more to life than prophecies."

"Reminds me." Luke took a step back, swinging his sword. "How about taking a walk by the water later?"

"Sounds good," Thalia grinned.

Their blades clashed.

* * *

"There's going to be war if we don't stop this," Annabeth muttered. Thalia rubbed her charm bracelet. Annabeth was getting to old to be reassured.

"The gods aren't stupid enough to tear the world apart over a prophecy that's taking its sweet time in coming true." Percy threw another rock into the water.

Thalia hoped he was right.

* * *

"Be careful," she told Luke.

"I'll be fine," he promised.

"The camp doesn't deserve to be punished like this." She swallowed, blinking hard.

Every time any demigod left, they were more likely than usual to be hunted down and torn apart. Some of the gods were trying to negotiate peace, but everything had finally come to a head. Hades was insisting that his children be accepted, Zeus thought that the younger Big Three children should be kept under special supervision, and Poseidon was furious that Zeus was using the fact that Thalia had passed sixteen a while ago to protect her.

Monsters were more vicious, demigods were getting into fights. Sometimes it took all her mental effort not to lash out at the people whispering about her behind her back.

And now Luke was heading out to help collect some demigods in Pennsylvania.

"I'll come home." He squeezed her hand.

Their eyes locked – Thalia hesitated for a moment – and then stepped back.

"Alright."

* * *

Time passed. She got into arguments with Percy when they both tried to take a leadership role – she was five years older, for the gods' sake, but she had to admit he was brave, and he could bring people together.

The campers drove back Furies sneaking into the woods, hellhounds at the borders.

Clarisse la Rue was killed while fighting a drakon. Amiya Chavan was struck down by a pair of draconae. Nico di Angelo died when he overextended his power to summon the dead, and Hades' fury was nearly too much for them to bear.

* * *

"We're fighting together." Thalia's gaze was fierce.

"No arguments there," Luke nodded.

A lump was lodged in her throat, and he took her hand.

She caught her breath as Luke leaned down and kissed her.

"Just in case we die today." He flashed a forced smile, and they charged the monsters.

* * *

At age sixteen, Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase were hailed as heroes for managing to restore peace among the gods. The Big Three pact was withdrawn, and construction began for Cabin Thirteen at Camp Half-Blood.

Thalia and Luke each led several quests to check on the monsters and entities the gods had imprisoned. The attacks and near-war had caused some darker beasts to stir, but Thalia knew that these heroes could keep them in Tartarus and under mountains and wherever else they dwelled.

Finally the children of the gods were being recognized. The gods had been shocked enough by the stirring of their enemies that they were more willing to listen to the voices of the half-bloods who had only defended themselves for the past several years.

"This isn't going to end here," Thalia warned, staring out at the road from the top of the hill at the edge of camp.

"We'll hold the monsters back," Luke said.

She shook her head. "That's not what I meant. So many demigods will be bitter about losing friends, losing brothers and sisters because the gods were scared of a prophecy." She rubbed her silver bracelet, and Luke placed his hand on top of hers.

"Then we'll remind them that peace is what we were fighting for. That more war won't solve anything," he said.

"Says the one who used to curse the gods," Thalia smiled.

"You did, too," he pointed out. "We were temperamental children."

"I am still temperamental, and don't you forget it."

"Sorry, Lightning Girl." He nudged her shoulder. "Must have been Annabeth rubbing off on us. She never believed the gods abandoned us."

"Hades fought so hard for his children," Thalia said. "Poseidon was furious at Zeus for his favoritism. Things may have nearly escalated into World War Three, but…I think it showed that the gods did care. All of them." She nodded at Luke.

"Yeah." He slipped his hands in his pockets. Thalia knew that thing could have turned out very differently if she hadn't gotten into a shouting match with Hermes about leaving Luke to fend for himself on one of her early quests.

"When we came here…I don't think we ever guessed that things would turn out like this." Thalia glanced back at the valley.

"Well…" Luke looked at his feet. "To be honest, I think it worked out for the best."

"Yeah." She rose up and kissed his cheek. "Me, too."

* * *

**Two – Anger and Loyalty**

"You willing to be on our team for Capture the Flag?" Luke nudged her.

"What, you think I'd really team up with Ares? We'll _cream _them." Tiny volts of electricity sparked from her fingers.

"You're awfully excited to beat them," Luke frowned. He lowered his voice, so Annabeth wouldn't overhear from "Have they been bothering you again?"

Thalia muttered something under her breath.

"They have!" Luke snapped, kicking the beach's soft sand. "You didn't ask to be Zeus's daughter, that's not fair-"

"Who said life was fair?" she sighed.

"They don't have to make it worse! 'Safe place for demigods', my-"

"Luke!" Thalia hissed, shooting a pointed glare at Annabeth.

"Fine! Fine," he muttered. "But this isn't over."

* * *

"You gotta admit the food's a bonus." Thalia stretched out on the tree branch while Luke scrambled to climb up. "No 'only enough money for a bag of chips', no stealing from garbage cans…"

"No picking dandelion leaves," he agreed, shuddering at the memory of their bitter taste.

"Actual three meals a day," she sighed.

"I almost threw up, I stuffed myself so much at breakfast the first day," Luke admitted, reaching up for another handhold. "But I wish…"

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to sit by godly parent! I'm practically falling off the bench, and you're all alone!"

"It's only a few times of the day." She avoided his gaze.

"That doesn't make it right," he insisted.

* * *

"Whatcha up to?" She rested her head on his shoulder.

"Uh…same old." Luke shifted, crossing his ankles.

"You weren't at the arena today. I had practice with your cabin."

"Didn't feel so good," he shrugged.

"Really?" she stared up at him, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah. I'm better now."

* * *

"Luke's a lot grumpier lately," Annabeth observed.

"A bit, yeah," Thalia muttered.

"Is he going to be okay?" Her gray eyes were wide and bright, and Thalia's willpower crumbled.

"Ah – yeah. It's just really hot and stuffy in the Hermes cabin. He gets annoyed with his brothers and sisters and-" _all the demigods whose parents refuse to acknowledge their existence. _"Well, being stuck with such a big crowd can be tough."

Annabeth shrugged, still looking concerned.

Thalia sighed. She couldn't ferry away the girl's questions indefinitely, and Annabeth had a good point. Something was not quite right with Luke.

* * *

"Zeus's master bolt has been stolen," Chiron told her.

"And?" Thalia crossed her arms.

"This is serious," Grover chewed the hem of his shirt. "There could be war-"

"It won't come to that, not yet," Chiron interrupted. "Zeus blames Poseidon, but he doesn't know what hero Poseidon could have possibly used to steal the bolt."

"You're telling me this because…"

"Think, child. You're the only one who might be able to prevent a war. Zeus would trust you to find his bolt and bring it back. And a child of Zeus proclaiming Poseidon's innocence-"

Thalia stood. "Hold up. First off, how do you know Poseidon didn't steal it? Or have it stolen or whatever." She blew the long bangs flapping in her eyes away from her face. "And second, no way! I don't need to do anything for my dad. He never did anything for me!"

"Thalia," Chiron sighed. "Your father has done more for you than you realize."

"Like what?"

"Your shield, for one. I'm presuming you didn't just stumble across it on your own."

"Well, no…"

"The gods cannot directly interfere in their children's destinies. But that didn't mean that Zeus didn't do what he could to protect you on your journey."

Thalia was silent.

"As for Poseidon's innocence, well…thievery isn't his style. And it's too convenient that he should be blamed. There are larger forces at work." Chiron's eyes darkened. "If you choose to accept the quest, you must visit the oracle. And you may choose two companions for your journey."

Thalia wanted to protest that there was no way she was putting herself in danger to save some sea god's skin. But Grover had looked genuinely afraid of the war that might break if Zeus persisted in blaming Poseidon.

And she couldn't deny that after a year, she seriously wanted to get out of this place. A breath of fresh air.

"Fine." Thalia's eyes flashed. "I accept."

* * *

"You sure you're up for this?" she asked Grover.

"O-of course." He stuffed another tin can in his mouth.

"Just because the Council suspended judgment on your searcher's license-"

"Exactly! This might be the only way I'll ever get it!"

Thalia fiddled with the canister for her spear. Grover may not have been her first choice, but he had been brave leading them to camp. And it may have been her fault that judgment was suspended. She'd stopped on the hill, considering telling the others to go ahead, and in her brief period of indecision Grover had tackled her to prevent a hellhound from tearing her to pieces. He'd been knocked unconscious, and she'd been scratched.

They barely made it to the Big House, but fortunately a patrol of Ares and Apollo campers rushed out to take down the bulk of the army. Chiron was barely able to bargain with the Furies, but nobody had died, thank the gods.

She glanced over at Grover, remembering the sting of her scratches when they got infected a day or two later (she'd initially refused treatment, zapping any Apollo kids who came close and sulking in her cabin).

The Council had blamed Grover for neglecting his duty as protector.

Thalia scratched a few random Greek letters in the dirt and shrugged.

"If you're really sure…"

"I am!"

"Then I guess you're quest member number three." She tried to smile, but it was forced.

* * *

"Welcome to Hell," Luke muttered as Charon pushed the boat through the hazy waters of the Styx. Thalia shoved him a little and reached out to squeeze his hand. He looked briefly surprised, but she shrugged and stared at her feet.

Grover's teeth were chattering. Sometimes Thalia thought it was a miracle that the satyr had made it this far.

Suddenly, Luke clutched her hand tighter, his face ashen.

"What?" she whispered.

"Nothing." He swallowed. "Just…it's nothing."

She narrowed her eyes but didn't push it.

* * *

They confronted Hades and found that the master bolt had been in Thalia's backpack, although they didn't know how.

Thalia was furious, but she handed Luke and Grover a pearl each – a gift from one of the servants of Poseidon to the girl who was working to clear his name.

Luke grabbed her arm before they could smash the pearls.

"Shouldn't we wait? We need to find out who really stole the bolt…" He drew his sword, but his eyes flashed nervously from one corner of the room to another.

"We can't find that out here! Besides…" she muttered. "I think I know."

"You do?"

"Just come on, Luke!"

They crushed the pearls and spilled out in the ocean.

* * *

Thalia found Ares on the beach and yelled at him, her eyes flashing and her spear crackling with lightning.

They fought then and there, sword on spear, slashing and jumping. Thalia called down lightning and used the distraction to stab the war god. He shouted, but a dark cloud swept over the world, and the god stopped in his tracks.

"Thought we had a deal, punk." Ares narrowed his eyes.

Thalia frowned in confusion before realizing he wasn't talking to her.

That was the moment her world turned upside down.

"I didn't have time," Luke snapped back.

"Amateur mistake," Ares growled.

"Luke, what's he talking about?" Thalia's voice was shaking.

"It wasn't supposed to end up like this." His hand settled on the hilt of his sword. "If Chiron had given the quest to anyone else -"

"Luke Castellan, what in HADES is going on?"

"Your boyfriend here failed in his mission, that's what," Ares chuckled, a dark humor behind the sound. "He was supposed to deliver the bolt the rest of the way. Didn't have a plan, I suppose? Never mind, kid. Teaches me not to make deals with demigods." The war god glowed, and she barely thought to avert her eyes before he disappeared in a brilliant flash.

Thalia's grip on her spear was unsteady.

"Luke…" Her eyes were begging him to deny it, but he kicked the ground and looked away. "You didn't, please…"

"For the first time in ages someone acknowledges me!" he spat. "Tells me I can be greater than any of the gods! That we can be." Luke took a step towards her, but she stumbled back.

"Get away from me," Thalia hissed.

"I thought you would agree with me! I did this for you, for us-"

"What the hell, Luke?"

"They pushed you around at camp! That silly centaur's trying to use you, and so's your dad! So are all the gods, the ones who don't want you dead at least. The only way to make a world where we all can be safe is to start fresh."

"How do you plan on that, exactly?" Her hand drifted towards her bracelet.

"He promised me that together we could overthrow the gods. Make the world anew." Luke's voice was slightly dazed, but angry.

"Who promised you?" Grover scooted to her side, and Luke threw him a contemptuous look.

"Get out of her, goat. You never did anything for us except drag us into this mess."

"You stole the master bolt," Thalia choked out.

"I was supposed to deliver it to Tartarus. I messed up." He took a deep breath. "But that doesn't mean it's over."

"Tartarus?" Grover yelped. "Why?"

"For Kronos, of course!"

"The Titan?" Thalia gasped.

"He's the only one who can take back the world." Luke held out his hand. "I know change is scary, so I didn't want to tell you. But I did this for Annabeth. For all the demigods stuck in Cabin Eleven. I did this for _you._"

Thalia didn't move, and then she darted forward, swinging her spear and calling down a blast of lightning.

Luke rolled out of the way, eyes wide with shock, but before he could recover she pinned him to the ground, snatching up his sword.

"Thalia! What are you doing?"

"Go," she hissed. "I never want to see you again." She stepped back, letting him clamber to his feet.

"I don't understand…"

"No." Her voice rose in anger. "No, _I _don't understand! Leave, Luke, or I swear I'll kill you."

He brushed himself off unsteadily. Their eyes met for a heartbeat before he stumbled off along the shore.

Thalia sat down and cried.

* * *

Annabeth didn't take the news well.

* * *

"You turned him down," Chiron said.

"What?"

"I'm..frankly a little surprised. You weren't tempted by Luke's plans?"

"I-" Yes? No? Of course part of her wanted to listen to what he had said, wanted to agree with him, wanted to join him. But the shock of his lies – it was too much. "He betrayed us," she finally said. "I couldn't agree with that."

Chiron nodded thoughtfully.

"May I go?" she said through gritted teeth.

He stared at her, and for a moment she believed he could see right through her, into her wildest thoughts and darkest secrets.

Chiron nodded.

* * *

One year later. Thalia was leading a team to pick up a couple young demigods in the city. The three of them pelted down a side street while the blinded lycanthrope sniffed, chasing their trail by scent alone.

She nearly stumbled over a girl around Annabeth's age standing wide-eyed outside a small art gallery.

"Get out of the way!" Thalia snapped as the wolf rounded the corner.

The girl's eyes widened, and she gestured wildly for the group to follow her. Thalia didn't feel like trusting a little girl, but after one look at the two half-bloods they'd grabbed, she sighed.

They followed the girl through a series of winding paths, crossing their scent trail over and over again to confuse them. She suggested leaving their jackets behind to create a false trail, and Thalia stared at her.

"Do you have to deal with monsters a lot?"

"No…" She hesitated. "They normally don't bother me. But I see them everywhere."

"What's your name?"

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare."

* * *

Darker and more disturbing monsters sniffed around the borders. Another year had passed, with Kronos's forces tracking down more and more half-bloods.

"Recruitment is down," Annabeth said quietly, and Thalia acknowledged her without really listening.

"I still can't believe what Luke's doing," she whispered, curling up next to Thalia.

Thalia picked at a hangnail, forcing herself to ignore the hurt in the ten-year-old's voice.

"Hey." She forced a smile. "You've still got me."

* * *

Thalia joined a quest that year to investigate the Labyrinth. Some of the older Athena kids believed that the Titans would use it as an entry point to wipe out the camp.

Annabeth was furious that she wasn't being allowed to go, but there was no way Thalia was putting her in danger. Again.

Running through the underground corridors, Thalia pictured Grover, jumping at the slightest movement, but bravely charging any monster they might meet. She swallowed the lump in her throat. The satyr had disappeared on his quest for Pan nearly two years ago. No one expected to hear from him again.

They kept moving.

* * *

It was close. Too close. Thalia had initially refused to recruit a little girl, but without Rachel they wouldn't have made it to Daedalus' workshop.

The quest group plus the old inventor himself flew back to camp on pegasi after dropping Rachel back at her house (which she didn't seem too happy about). A couple of the cabins were on fire, and at least a dozen demigods weren't moving.

Andrew from Apollo executed his plan to trap Kronos's forces back in the Labyrinth, a plan which left Daedalus trapped in the maze with them.

Camp Half-Blood waiting until the ground started to shake. They knew then that Daedalus had been foolishly killed by one of the monsters, and the Labyrinth had been destroyed in the process.

* * *

"You saw Luke, didn't you?" Annabeth accused, but Thalia couldn't bring herself to meet the girl's eyes.

Chiron placed a hand on her shoulder. "Something has happened."

She nodded. "He wasn't…he wasn't Luke."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"He was in the coffin." Her arms shook; her teeth chattered. "And then his eyes were gold, and-"

Chiron drew in a deep breath. "This is serious news."

"What?" Annabeth demanded. "What's happened?"

"He's Kronos now, isn't he?" Thalia whispered.

Chiron nodded softly, and Annabeth stumbled backward before running to her cabin.

* * *

Her sixteenth birthday.

"The attack won't come until the summer," Chiron promised, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that the Fates were watching her, preparing the path that lay before her.

In April they finally told her the full prophecy, and Thalia knew her days were marked.

* * *

Five half-bloods died in the attack on the Princess Andromeda, but the boat was destroyed.

Thalia spent most of her time in Chiron's office, insisting that the first attack would come in Manhattan.

* * *

The battle was the bloodiest they'd ever faced. Even with a fresh wave of reinforcements _(thank the gods) _every day or two, they still lost more campers than she wanted to count.

Kronos forced them back to the Empire State Building, and Thalia raced to the elevators a minute later. She heard panting behind her and saw Annabeth.

"No!" Thalia hissed. "Stay down, it's too dangerous!"

"I can help," she insisted. "Stop treating me like I'm still seven! When you were my age you were running around the country fending off monsters with Luke. You didn't have anybody telling you to stay out of the fighting."

Thalia caught her breath. She'd forgotten what she'd been going through at Annabeth's age. She'd forgotten that maybe she didn't have to be in charge of everybody.

"Just be careful," Thalia whispered.

* * *

Kronos's scythe met Thalia's spear, but her muscles felt like jelly. She struggled to move her legs, twist, bring up her spear again – anything.

Annabeth charged Kronos from behind, and his concentration broke. Thalia could move, but not quick enough – she watched in horror as the Titan slashed down.

The eleven-year-old girl blocked the strike with her knife. One lucky move, but her arms shook, and Kronos kicked her away.

Thalia screamed. How could they have come so far to be destroyed?

In the end, her best friend was tearing them all apart.

Because in the beginning, he'd let his anger blind him to right and wrong.

* * *

"Family, Luke. You promised."

Thalia felt like she'd been punched, and Kronos stumbled backward.

When his eyes opened and they were blue, she didn't know what to say. She was exhausted, her spear kicked away from her, bleeding from a wound on her side.

All she wanted was to believe him.

But in the end, Thalia didn't give the knife to Luke because she trusted him. She handed it over because of Annabeth, because it was the only option left available to her, the only hope for saving the girl she'd fought so hard to protect all these years.

* * *

She collapsed next to him, her side stinging, her eyes filling with hot tears.

"Could you…could you ever forgive me?" he asked her.

Thalia shook her head, chewing on her lower lip.

"Do you…understand?"

She nodded then, reaching out to squeeze his hand.

"We could have been a family," she whispered, her voice breaking. "We had a chance, but you-"

"I was wrong. I thought I was saving you." He coughed, and Annabeth crawled over, blinking back tears.

"Luke?" Her voice was barely audible.

"Hey, kiddo. I'm sorry, I – don't make the same mistakes I did. Trust your heart to do what's right. You always had a bigger heart than me." His breath rattled.

Thalia fought for words, but there was nothing she could say now.

"I'll try for rebirth," he sighed. "I'll do better next time."

She squeezed his hand tighter, startling him.

"Wait. Just – wait." Her voice shook.

He stared at her, and then nodded, a smile stretching across his face before his eyes dulled.

* * *

She barely survived her wounds from the battle. Over half of the campers had died, and Thalia spent a lot of time on her own, walking through the woods or sitting by the sound.

Annabeth might have been hanging around listlessly as well, except she was too busy arguing with one of the new campers. This one they'd picked up in Manhattan during the battle – some eleven-year-old kid who suddenly found himself awake when the city had gone to sleep. Unfortunate – he might have held on another year or so without attracting monsters if the battle hadn't come so soon.

Anyways, Thalia could bet that Annabeth and this Percy Jackson would end up the best of friends in a few weeks.

That was how it had worked for her and Luke, at least.

* * *

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure." Thalia squeezed Annabeth's hand. "Camp isn't the right place for me anymore."

Artemis nodded, her smile sad but welcoming. Her last lieutenant had died in the Battle of Manhattan after days of arguing with Thalia and hours of realizing they weren't so different after all.

Thalia knelt.

"I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men…"

* * *

**Three - Recklessness and Betrayal**

"_She's _the daughter of Zeus."

"I heard Hades sent his most powerful monsters to destroy her."

"Well, she's not supposed to exist right?"

Thalia was highly tempted to whip out Aegis and send the huddled group of demigods running for mommy, but fortunately for them Annabeth ran out of Cabin Six, breathless and grinning.

"What's up, kiddo?" Thalia crossed her arms, her smile amused.

"They have enough drafting paper to…to wallpaper an entire house!"

Okay. Perhaps that wouldn't be such a thrilling concept to most kids, but even at age seven Annabeth liked seeing her ideas out on paper, where she could tweak them with pencils and erasers.

"Great! Sounds like you'll have a lot of fun there."

Annabeth nodded enthusiastically, but then her eyebrows furrowed together.

"But they've been saying things…things about…" The blonde hesitated, staring at her shoes.

Thalia resisted the urge to whip out her spear. She could _bet_ what the other campers were saying, and she'd heard enough. She silently swore that if anyone was bugging Annabeth because she had come into camp with Thalia and Luke, well – it wouldn't bode well for them.

She took a deep breath. "We don't have to listen to them, do we?"

"No…" Annabeth still looked uncertain.

"C'mon then. I want to show you this really cool hideaway spot that Luke found."

* * *

"They keep picking on Annabeth." Thalia tried to skip the stone across the surface of the lake, but it just hit the water and sunk.

Luke threw his own rock angrily, creating a loud splash.

"We didn't sign up for this," he muttered. "And she sure as hell doesn't deserve it. If Grover had never found us…"

"We might have been killed by monsters," she interrupted. "Or starved to death."

He raised his eyebrows. "You're actually defending this camp?"

"I'm defending the fact that it's a place to eat and sleep. But Hades, there has to be a better way."

"I know." Luke carefully twisted his arm and flung a stone. It skipped across the surface of the lake.

"Showoff." Thalia shoved him.

* * *

_See what the gods have done. See how you have suffered because they use you. Because they never value you or your friends. _

* * *

Thalia scratched at her thumb, thinking through the strange dream that had come the night before. The voice had been dark, haunting. But it had also been right.

She had her suspicions about who was talking to her, but Thalia was curious. The gods, the supposed "good guys", were just as evil as the monsters. So maybe…maybe the Titans weren't the "bad guys" after all.

She couldn't deny that the thing in the pit terrified her, but she would keep listening as long as it kept speaking the truth.

* * *

Rubbing her bruised jaw, Thalia stumbled back to her feet and glared murderously at the Ares kid – Mark – who dared to throw snide comments at her and attempt to trip Annabeth.

If a fight was what they wanted, she wouldn't disappoint.

"Don't-" Annabeth cried, but Thalia called down a blast of lightning that struck the ground right in front of him, blasting the boy backwards. His buddies ran to him, but he was already unconscious.

She hurried forward, grabbing Annabeth's hand and pulling her away.

"They're bullies," she told her. "They deserve it."

* * *

"You put Mark in a coma." Luke crossed his arms, but judging by his tone of voice he was mildly impressed.

"He was bothering us. He shouldn't pick fights with someone he can't beat." She shrugged.

"That was a pretty powerful lightning strike."

"So?"

"Please tell me you won't be using that against me in Capture the Flag."

"Oh, so suddenly I'm dangerous?"

"You've always been dangerous, Lightning Girl."

"Mmm, you better believe it."

* * *

_You must protect the child. The gods neglect her, their children abuse her. Together we can remake the world into a place where she can be safe._

* * *

"I've been having these dreams…" Thalia hesitated. Luke had cursed the gods enough along with her, but would he believe that overthrowing them was in everyone's best interest?

He froze. "What?"

"What?"

"What sort of dreams?"

"There's a voice, speaking to me. From deep in the ground, in the darkness." She shivered but pressed on, her voice insistent. "We've always thought there had to be a better way to run things, right?" She stared at Luke. "Right?"

"I – I've been having the same dreams," he said.

"Really?"

"Why not? Like you said, there has to be a way to stop everyone from getting harassed. None of the gods ever did anything for us, ever appreciated us. Without them dictating our lives, we can actually live them for once."

Their eyes met, and a slow smile spread across Thalia's face.

"I was worried you'd think I was crazy," she admitted. "This seems a little beyond normal demigod dream weirdness."

"But we're in this together." His eyes lit up and then narrowed. "We can make them pay for every time they let us starve on the streets or nearly die from infected wounds."

"Every time they made us feel like we don't belong," Thalia agreed, her voice catching. Luke reached over and squeezed her hand.

* * *

The whispers crept into her head, rooting there, becoming part of her. In the beginning, she had cautiously agreed to keep listening to Kronos's voice. What he said made sense and anger fueled her actions – she wanted to get out there and tear down the palace of the gods so she could get her life back.

She didn't really notice the transition – the Titan's thoughts becoming her thoughts, the temptation becoming harder and harder to resist. She believed that this was what she wanted, that she would never dream of resisting anymore.

Slowly, Thalia forgot the reasons for her caution.

* * *

"We can't take Annabeth with us," Luke said.

"No," she sighed.

"It'll be okay. When this is all over, when Olympus has come crumbling down – she'll be free, and we can…"

"…be a family again," she finished, nudging him with a slight smile.

He smiled back, playing with a strand of her hair before she slapped his hand away.

"You ready?" she asked.

"I'm ready."

* * *

Thalia couldn't help but grin as she touched the master bolt. Her dear father would never believe his own daughter had stolen the symbol of his power. It was ridiculously easy, too. The gods thought they were so powerful, no one could touch them.

_I'll show you how easily your power can be taken away, _she swore.

* * *

"Good thing he caught you and not me," Thalia muttered as she cleaned her spear. "And that I'd already given you the bolt."

"Yeah, I think the gods are a bit more afraid of you." Luke flicked a clump of mud from his sword at her, and she punched his shoulder in retaliation.

He pulled a mock-hurt face, and Thalia rolled her eyes.

"You did good though. Talking to Ares, I mean." She smiled.

Luke shrugged. "I had help with what to say. And…" He hesitated. "We'd better pull this off Thals, or I'm worried that he'll-"

"I know. He wants to know that we're capable enough." She frowned. "But we'll do it. We've got too, for Annabeth's sake."

* * *

Unfortunately for them, it only took one quest before Thalia Grace and Luke Castellan were exposed as the agents of Kronos.

"I thought you'd dealt with Andrew!" Luke hissed as they plunged through the woods, ignoring brambles that scratched their arms.

"I did!" she snapped. "He was unconscious. I never thought they'd make it back to Olympus. The Demeter girl was too resourceful."

"Unconscious isn't good enough! Please tell me you dealt with the Demeter girl properly?"

Thalia nodded, breathing heavily. "She might be good with plants, but she can barely swing a sword. And with luck, the pit scorpion will have taken down Andrew."

"With luck," Luke groaned. "You almost blew it!"

"Me? You're the one who had to go on and on before leaving him with the scorpion. If sometime comes to find him in time, it's your fault."

He glared at her.

"Let's not argue now." Thalia looked over her shoulder. "We need to split up and rendezvous later."

He didn't say anything.

"And look, at least we dealt with what's-his-face from your cabin."

"Tony," Luke muttered. "But yeah, I guess."

She halted, sucking in deep breaths and resting her hands on her knees.

"Come on, Luke. Golden age. For Annabeth."

"Annabeth! If Andrew makes it, she'll know-"

"He won't make it!" she snapped. _He _can't_ make it, or he'll tell his version of the story, and Annabeth's too young to understand._

"Alright," Luke grabbed her arm. "Meet you at…you-know-where?"

She nodded. "See you in a bit."

* * *

_Only two years before your sixteenth birthday, Thalia. The gods have only ever tried to take away your power, your ambition. They do not know that you have power and ambition to match theirs. You are more than they ever understood, than they ever valued. _

* * *

"Kronos knows better than to try to fight against a prophecy." Thalia slipped her hands into her pockets, inclining her head to one of the draconae they passed.

"We don't even know the full prophecy," Luke objected.

"Save or destroy Olympus. That's all that matters." Her eyes flashed as they continued down the corridor of the _Princess Andromeda. _"I can rebuild the world for the better. I can take control for once."

"And what about me?"

Thalia stopped, turning to Luke with her hands on her hips.

"What?" Luke frowned.

"Are you really this…never mind."

"Thalia? Thalia!"

* * *

"Hey." Luke stepped out onto the deck.

"Hey." Thalia leaned her chin against the railing. She tilted her head. "You've got something to say, spit it out."

"What were you going to say earlier?" he asked, shuffling his feet.

"What do you think?"

"Don't play games with me, right now!" he pleaded.

She laughed.

"Look." Thalia stood, her smile amused. "You're my best friend. You've always been. You're the one person in the world who understand me." Her voice dropped, and her smile slipped. "Who would fight for me."

"We fight a lot, too," Luke said, taking a step forward to stand next to her.

"That's cause I'm dangerous and temperamental."

"So you've mentioned."

…

"Ow! Also prone to punching people."

"That was not a punch, that was a thwack."

"A thwack?"

"Shut up, Luke."

Thalia took a deep breath. "I've never felt accepted anywhere accept by your side. You really don't think that would ever go away, would it?"

"Wow," Luke murmured.

Thalia crossed her arms. "Excuse me?"

"Uh, I mean, that was…unexpected?"

"Mmm. How's this for unexpected?"

Before she could lose her courage, she kissed him.

* * *

"Ready, Lightning Girl?"

"Oh, I'm always ready." Her eyes flashed mischievously before darkening as she focused on the battle plan before them.

More and more demigods were joining to their cause. Demons, Titans, and spies kept them updated on the darker Stirrings. Their most powerful allies were on the rise. More than just allies, though. Thalia and Luke spent hours discussing how to track down the Ophiotaurus when it was reborn. He finally agreed that she should be the one to slay and sacrifice it, as it would be the most likely way to fulfill the prophecy.

The one thing they never discussed was Annabeth.

Luke didn't like bugging the spies for updates about her, but Thalia would ask every now and then. The answer was always the same – she was devastated, broken-hearted, and determined to destroy them and the Titans if they refused to choose the right side. Thalia shoved the responses down into the deepest part of her heart, telling herself over and over that Annabeth was just a little girl.

She couldn't understand.

* * *

_We made the right choices. We made the right choices. _

It became her mantra until she believed it. Together, they could be unstoppable. Luke – Kronos's right hand man. Thalia – the child of the prophecy with the power to overthrow Olympus. The world had scorned them for too long, and they would make everything right again.

* * *

_Excellent. So we know where the creature lies now. It will not be long before you make the sacrifice that will bring us into a new Golden Age. The entrails in the flame will be the birth of the new age of the Titans – an age of prosperity for you and all who follow us. _

* * *

"Get back!" Thalia jabbed her spear forward, her eyes pleading. She didn't want Annabeth to get hurt. The girl was only eleven; she probably hadn't been given permission to join this quest.

"No." Annabeth's voice was quiet but certain. Her eyes didn't have the same sparkle they used to, but she took a confident step forward, raising her dagger. "I won't let you do this. Either of you. I trusted you once, but those days are over."

Fighting broke out. Thalia clashed blades with another quest member and kicked her legs out from underneath her. She slashed at the girl's shoulder and was about to stab downward when someone screamed.

Too familiar. Too terrifying.

Blood. So much blood.

No. No. She refused to believe her eyes.

The Ophiotaurus was dead. Annabeth had killed it with a clean slice of her dagger.

Annabeth, who had collapsed on the sidewalk, clutching her stomach. Her Camp Half-Blood shirt was stained dark red.

One of their allies stood over her, and Thalia snapped, hurtling her spear at the victorious half-blood. She heard shrieking, and the last gasps of a little girl who had given her life to protect Olympus.

_I did this for you_, Thalia screamed. _You can't…_

So much worse for the world. Because now she much less to lose.

* * *

Three years for their forces to regroup after Annabeth's death. Thalia and Luke had nearly killed each other in the aftermath, their shouting matches giving way to sword on spear. Both of their blood had spilled on the floor before they were dragged apart, grief-stricken and broken-hearted.

Sacrificing the creature had been Plan A. Plan B was really no more than a hazy fog.

Meanwhile, reports came in of a son of Poseidon who had arrived at camp. The gods had latched onto him as the savior of Olympus, more so as she turned seventeen. Then eighteen. Nineteen...

Thalia had had her chance to remake the world. She came so close – and now the blood of a child could never be forgotten. Waking up screaming in the night, collapsing during the day – her world was crumbling apart bit by bit, so the only thing she could do was lash out at it. Tear Olympus down brick by brick.

* * *

"He chose me because you failed!" Luke shouted. "You had your chance to destroy Olympus and you weren't quick enough. Why would he ever want to use you again? You're unreliable."

"You always wanted to believe you were better than me," she spat back. "For a while I thought – but you're a selfish bastard, Luke. Kronos may have chosen you, but did you ever think it's because he has no other use for you? _I'm _the leader, you're just…a Titan's vessel."

Luke slammed his sword into the ground, breathing heavily.

"If you weren't part of this army," he hissed, "you wouldn't stand a chance."

"Because you'd kill me?" she snapped back. "I'd like to see you try."

He clenched his hands around the hilt for a heartbeat before storming out of the room.

* * *

War. War like she'd never seen. Slicing down demigods as fast as they could. Red spilling onto the streets. The golden light of Kronos's eyes, maniac and cruel. For a better world. For a new world.

The taste of the words was bitter in her mouth, but Thalia has nothing left to fight for. The darkness had rooted too deeply inside, broken her to the core. Twenty-one years old, and she'd never had a normal life. She was shattered, but she was unstoppable. Ferocious and deadly.

* * *

They were tearing apart Olympus, breaking glass, throwing stones apart, shredding gorgeous gardens into piles of weeds and leaves. She was burning, running to the point of exhaustion. This was all she existed for.

Percy Jackson came with his friends, and she tried her hardest, fought with all the dirtiest tricks she had. Someone swept her off her feet and stabbed her in the side.

Her vision slipped in and out of focus, the thoughts whirling around in her head slowing down. Through the haze of pain she was shocked into reality.

"No…" Thalia murmured. "He'll destroy…"

But it was too late for her. Who knew what Kronos or Luke would do, if Percy would save or destroy Olympus after all?

The last thing she saw was Percy's sword skid through a fissure in the throne room. To her shock, he drew a very familiar looking Celestial bronze knife.

Then gray.

Then black.

* * *

_She was thrust back into reality after years of swirling dreams, years of lives that never got lived. The memories disappeared, too confused and muddled to be held in a simple human mind. Hovering between life and death was the only time she knew what could have been. _

* * *

After the Battle of Manhattan, Thalia Grace sat on one of the few benches on Olympus that hadn't been overturned. She heard Lady Artemis approach and closed her eyes briefly. Her crutches were propped up nearby.

"If you're going to ask how I'm feeling…" Thalia sighed.

"I know this day wasn't easy for you. Aside from the statue falling" Artemis slid onto the bench beside her, and Thalia shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be. We all lose old friends. We all have things we wished we could have said. What's important is to move forward, not constantly dwell on the past."

Thalia dug her nails into her palms.

"This would never have happened if…" She swallowed.

"If?" Artemis prompted.

"If I hadn't been turned into a tree that day," she sighed. "I could have seen this coming, I could have stopped him before so many died. If I had been around…"

Artemis rested a gentle hand on her arm. "My brave lieutenant. The world is more complicated than we realize. The Fates can be cruel, but they can also be kind. You have no power to know what the future would have been. We can only hurt ourselves by wishing."

For years to come, Thalia Grace would admire the fact that although Athena was the wisdom goddess, Artemis knew what advice was the most important.

* * *

_The yarn was tangled, too many paths ended in tragedy. Perhaps they would have had a chance. But in the end, fate was spun out of their favor. _


End file.
